Spinning reel for fishing having a support arm with a support member mounting portion

ABSTRACT

In a spinning reel for fishing, on a leading end side of a support arm provided in a rotor, there is formed a mounting portion for mounting a Support member including a fishing line guide member by combination of the support arm and a cover member mounted on the support arm, and a base portion of the support member is journaled on the mounting portion, so that the support member can be reversed between its fishing line take-up and play-out positions. The spinning reel can prevent a fishing line from being entangled during fishing operation, and can increase the diameter of a spool without increasing the size of the whole reel.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a spinning reel for fishing which canprevent a fishing line from become entangled on the spinning reel duringfishing operation and permits a spool to be increased in diameterwithout increasing the size of the entire spinning reel.

As shown in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-43017 or in FIG.34, in most of conventional spinning reels 1 for fishing, asemiannular-shaped bail 7 is mounted on the leading end portions of apair of support arms 5 provided in a rotor 3 through two bail supportmembers 9 and 11. The bail support members 9 and 11 are switchinglyurged to and held at their respective fishing line take-up and play-outpositions by a reversal control device 15 which is installed within thestorage portion 13 of the support arm 5.

In such spinning reel 1, if the bail 7 is turned down to its fishingline play-out position and the terminal tackles of the fishing rod arethrown out, then a fishing line wound around a spool 17 is played out ina spiral manner. On the other hand, if the bail 7 is returned to itsfishing line take-up position and the rotor 3 is rotated in a fishingline take-up direction by operating a handle 19, then the fishing linecan be wound around the spool 17 which reciprocates in the longitudinaldirection thereof in conjunction with the rotation of the rotor 3.

However, as shown in FIG. 34, in the above spinning reel 1, since thebail support members 9 and 11 are pivotably supported on the supportarms 5 in such a manner that they project greatly outwardly of a cover21 covering the storage portions 13, the support arms 5 (including thebail support members 9 and 11) is increased in thickness and thus insize, and the fishing line is likely to become entangled around the bailsupport members during the fishing operation of the spinning reel 1.

Also, in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-14259, there isdisclosed a spinning reel 33 in which, as shown in FIG. 35, two fittinggrooves 27 are respectively formed in the front peripheral portions of apair of support arms 25 provided in a rotor 23. Two bail support members29 and 31 are respectively fitted to the fitting grooves 27 while beingreturnably journaled on the support arms 25, and the outer surfaces ofthe mutually connecting portions of the bail support members 29, 31 andsupport arms 25 are formed in such a manner that they are almost flushwith each other.

The structure of the spinning reel 33 provides an advantage in that thebail support members 29 and 31 are prevented from projecting radiallyoutwardly from the respective outside surfaces of the support arms 25.However, the fishing line may still be caught in or bite into clearancesbetween mutually opposing portions, i.e. the leading end portions 25a ofthe support arms 25 and the stepped portions 29a, 31a of the bailsupport members 29, 31, during the fishing operation.

Further, since the fitting grooves 27 to be fitted with the bail supportmembers 29 and 31 are formed in the respective front peripheral portions of the support arms 25, a drawback is pointed out in that thethicknesses of the support arms 25 themselves are increased, therebyincreasing the outside width dimension L of the support arms 25.

In general, if the diameter of the spool is increased in a spinningreel, this provides advantages in that the permanent deformation (whichis likely to makes the fishing line looped or spiral, not straight) ishardly imparted on the fishing line and that a thumbing operation ontothe spool can be carried out easily and smoothly. However, in thespinning reel 33, as shown in FIG. 35 in which the support arms 25themselves are increased in size, if the diameter of the spool 35 isincreased for these advantages, then the rotor and the support arms mustbe further increased in diameter and size. Consequently the entire reelis increased in size and weight, which hinders the smooth fishingoperation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention aims at eliminating the drawbacks found in theabove-mentioned conventional spinning reels. Accordingly, it is anobject of the invention to provide a spinning reel for fishing which canprevent a fishing line from becoming entangled during the fishingoperation of the spinning reel. Another object of the present inventionis to provide a spinning reel for fishing which permits the diameter ofa spool to be increased without increasing the size of the entirespinning reel.

In order to attain the above-noted and other objects, the presentinvention provides a spinning reel for fishing for winding a fishingline onto a spool with a rotor rotatable about an axis, wherein:

the spool includes a front side flange portion, a fishing line windingbarrel portion and a rear side flange portion opposite from the frontside flange portion with respect to the fishing line winding barrelportion along the axis;

the fishing line winding barrel portion is tapered at an angle of 0.5° ato 5° with respect to the axis so that a diameter of the fishing linewinding barrel portion gradually decreases from the front side flangeportion to the rear side flange portion; and

an axial length of the rear side flange portion along the axis is largerthan an axial length of the fishing line winding barrel portion.

The present invention further provides a spinning reel for fishing forwinding a fishing line onto a spool with a rotor rotatable about anaxis, wherein:

the spool includes a front side flange portion, a fishing line windingbarrel portion and a rear side flange portion opposite from the frontside flange portion with respect to the fishing line winding barrelportion along the axis;

the fishing line winding barrel portion is tapered with respect to theaxis so that a diameter of the fishing line winding barrel portiongradually decreases from the front side flange portion to the rear sideflange portion; and

a rear end of the rear side flange portion is tapered so that a diameterof the rear end is gradually decreases rearwardly.

The present invention further provides a spinning reel for fishing forwinding a fishing line onto a spool with a rotor rotatable about anaxis, wherein:

the spool includes a front side flange portion, a fishing line windingbarrel portion and a rear side flange portion opposite from the frontside flange portion with respect to the fishing line winding barrelportion along the axis;

the rotor includes a pair of support arms located diametrically oppositefrom each other with respect to the axis;

a diameter of the front side flange portion relative to a distancedefined between outer surfaces of the support arms is set at 0.6to 0.8;and

a rear end of the rear side flange portion is tapered so that a diameterof the rear end is gradually decreases rearwardly.

The present invention further provides a spinning reel for fishing forwinding a fishing line onto a spool with a rotor rotatable about anaxis, wherein:

the spool includes a front side flange portion, a fishing line windingbarrel portion and a rear side flange portion opposite from the frontside flange portion with respect to the fishing line winding barrelportion along the axis; and

a diameter of the rear side flange portion relative to a diameter of thefront Bide flange portion is set at 0.95 to 1.05.

The present invention further provides a spinning reel for fishing forwinding a fishing line onto a spool with a rotor rotatable about a firstaxis, wherein:

the rotor includes a pair of support arms and a cover is attached to atleast one of the support arms;

said at least one of support arms and said cover cooperatively form amounting portion for pivotably mounting a base portion of a supportmember to which a bail is fixed;

an imaginary plane is defined, which contains the first axis andintersects both the support arms;

a peripheral wall is erected from and elongated along a peripheral edgeof the mounting portion so that the peripheral wall adjacent the baseportion of the support member extends from a fishing line take-up sideacross the imaginary plane to a fishing line play-out side; and

the peripheral wall defines a cut-out portion which permits a pivotmotion of the support arm and which is entirely located within thefishing line play-out side.

The present invention further provides a spinning reel for fishing forwinding a fishing line onto a spool with a rotor rotatable about a firstaxis, wherein:

the rotor includes a pair of support arms;

a support shaft i n formed on and protrudes from an inner surface of atleast one of the support arms for mounting a base portion of a supportmember to which a bail is fixed so that the support member is pivotableabout a second axis;

an imaginary plane is defined, which contains the first axis andintersects both the support arms;

a peripheral wall is erected from and elongated along a peripheral edgeof said at least one of the support arms so that the peripheral wall hasa curved front wall which circumscribes the base portion of the supportmember about the second axis and terminates substantially on theimaginary plane to define a cut-out portion entirely located within afishing line play-out side with respect to the imaginary plane.

The present invention further provides a spinning reel for fishing forwinding a fishing line onto a spool with a rotor rotatable about a firstaxis, wherein:

the rotor includes a pair of support arms, and a cover attached to atleast one of the support arms;

a support shaft is formed on and protrudes from an inner surface of saidcover for mounting a base portion of a support member to which a bail isfixed so that the support member is pivotable about a second axis;

an imaginary plane is defined, which contains the first axis andintersects both the support arms;

a peripheral wall is erected from and elongated along a peripheral edgeof said cover so that the peripheral wall has a curved front wall whichcircumscribes the base portion of the support member about the secondaxis and terminates substantially on the imaginary plane to define acut-out portion entirely located within a fishing line play-out sidewith respect to the imaginary plane.

Many advantages obtained from these designs for the spinning reelaccording to the present invention are disclosed hereafter in detailwith reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view, partly in section, of the main portions of afirst embodiment of a spinning reel according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view, partly in section, of the main portions of arotor, showing a mounting structure and an urging structure for a bailsupport member provided in the spinning reel shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a section view of a support arm provided in the rotor shown inFIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a side view, partly in section, of the main portions of arotor, showing a mounting structure and a returning structure for theother bail support member provided in the spinning reel shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a section view of a support arm provided in the rotor shown inFIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the rotor.

FIG. 7 is a section view of a support arm employed in a secondembodiment of a spinning reel according to the invention.

FIG. 8 is a side view, partly in section, of the main portions of arotor, showing a mounting structure and an urging structure for a bailsupport member provided in a third embodiment of a spinning reelaccording to the invention.

FIG. 9 is a section view of a support arm provided in the rotor shown inFIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a side view, partly in section, of the main portions of arotor, showing a mounting structure and an urging structure for a bailsupport member provided in a fourth embodiment of a spinning reelaccording to the invention.

FIG. 11 is a section view of a support arm provided in the rotor shownin FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a side view, partly in section, of the main portions of arotor, showing a mounting structure and an urging structure for a bailsupport member provided in a fifth embodiment of a spinning reelaccording to the invention.

FIG. 13 is a section view of a support arm provided in the rotor shownin FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a side view of the support arm provided in the rotor shown inFIG. 12.

FIG. 15 is a side view, partly in section, of the main portions of arotor, showing a mounting structure and an urging structure for a bailsupport member provided in a sixth embodiment of a spinning reelaccording to the invention.

FIG. 16 is a side view of a support arm provided in the rotor shown inFIG. 15.

FIG. 17 is a section view of the support arm provided in the rotor shownin FIG. 15.

FIG. 18 is a side view, partly in section, of the main portions of arotor employed in a seventh embodiment of a spinning reel according tothe invention.

FIG. 19 is a side view, partly in section, of the main portions of arotor employed in an eighth embodiment of a spinning reel according tothe invention.

FIG. 20 is a section view of a support arm provided in a rotor employedin a ninth embodiment of a spinning reel according to the invention.

FIG. 21 is a partial section view of a support arm provided in a rotoremployed in a tenth embodiment of a spinning reel according to theinvention.

FIG. 22 is a section view of a support arm provided in a rotor employedin an eleventh embodiment of a spinning reel according to the invention.

FIG. 23 is a section view of a support arm provided in a rotor employedin a twelfth embodiment of a spinning reel according to the invention.

FIG. 24 is a section view of a support arm provided in a rotor employedin a thirteenth embodiment of a spinning reel according to theinvention.

FIG. 25 is a section view of a support arm provided in a rotor employedin a fourteenth embodiment of a spinning reel according to theinvention.

FIG. 26 is a partial section view of a support arm provided in a rotoremployed in a fifteenth embodiment of a spinning reel according to theinvention.

FIG. 27 is a section view of a support arm provided in a rotor employedin a sixteenth embodiment of a spinning reel according to the invention.

FIG. 28 is a section view of a support arm provided in a rotor employedin a seventeenth embodiment of a spinning reel according to theinvention.

FIG. 29 is a section view of a support arm provided in a rotor employedin an eighteenth embodiment of a spinning reel according to theinvention.

FIG. 30 is a section view of a support arm provided in a rotor employedin a nineteenth embodiment of a spinning reel according to theinvention.

FIG. 31 is a section view of a support arm provided in a rotor employedin a twentieth embodiment of a spinning reel according to the invention.

FIG. 32 is a section view of a support arm provided in a rotor employedin a twenty-first embodiment of a spinning reel according to theinvention.

FIG. 33 is a section view of a support arm provided in a rotor employedin a twenty-second embodiment of a spinning reel according to theinvention.

FIG. 34 is a side view, partly in section, of the main portions of aconventional spinning reel.

FIG. 35 is a side view, partly in section, of the main portions ofanother conventional spinning reel.

FIG. 36 is a side view, partly in section, of the main portions of arotor employed in a twenty-third embodiment of a spinning reel accordingto the invention.

FIG. 37 is a section view of a support arm provided in the rotor shownin FIG. 36.

FIG. 38 is a side view of the main portions of a twenty-fourthembodiment of a spinning reel for fishing according to the invention.

FIG. 39 is a front view, partially in section, of the spinning reel forfishing shown in FIG. 38.

FIG. 40 is an enlarged section view of portions for mounting a lineroller in the spinning reel for fishing shown in FIG. 38.

FIG. 41 is an enlarged section view of the line roller in the spinningreel shown in FIG. 38.

FIG. 42 is an enlarged section view showing a modification of the lineroller.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Now, description will be given below in detail of embodiments of aspinning reel for fishing according to the invention with reference tothe accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a spinning reel according to theinvention. In FIG. 1, reference character 37 designates a reel mainbody. A rotor 39 is rotatably journaled on the front end of the reelmain body 37. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the rotor 39 includes a pair ofsupport arms 41 and 43 which are respectively formed integral with therotor 39 and extend in the longitudinal direction of the reel main body37. Two bail support members 45 and 47 are rotatably mounted on therespective leading end portions of the support arms 41 and 43. Asemiannular-shaped bail 49 is mounted between the two bail supportmembers 45 and 47.

Also, on the reel main body 37, there is mounted a spool 51 coaxiallywith the rotor 39. The spool 51 is rotatably supported on a spool shaftwhich is mounted in the reel main body 37 in such a manner that it cantraverse. The spool 51 and spool shaft are frictionally coupled to eachother by a drag device which is incorporated in the spool 51. The dragforce of the drag device can be adjusted by operating a knob 53 which isattached to the front end portion of the spool 51.

Further, on the reel main body 37, there is installed a handle 55 whichis used to take up a fishing line. The rotary shaft of the handle 55 islinked with the rotor 39 through a well-known gear mechanism providedwithin the reel main body 37. The spool shaft is linked with the rotaryshaft of the handle 55 through a well-known traverse mechanism.

The bail support members 45 and 47 are urged switchingly to and held attheir respective fishing line take-up positions and play-out positions,respectively shown by solid lines and two-dot chained lines in FIGS. 2and 4, by an urging device 57 which is installed in the support arm 41.The bail support members 45 and 47 held at their respective fishing lineplay-out positions can be reversed and returned to their respectivefishing line take-up positions by a return device 59 which is installedin the support arm 43. After the bail 49 is reversed to its fishing linetake-up position, if the rotor 39 is rotated in the fishing line take-updirection by operating the handle 55, then the fishing line can be woundaround the spool 51 which is allowed to traverse (reciprocate) inconjunction with the rotation of the rotor 39.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show the details of a mounting structure for mounting thebail support member 45 and the details of the urging device 57. In FIGS.2 and 3, reference character 63 designates a recess-like storage portionfor storing and mounting the urging device 57. In particular, thestorage portion 63 is formed in such a manner that it is enclosed by aperipheral wall 65 erected along the peripheral edge portion of thesupport arm 41. A cut-out portion 67 is formed in the peripheral wall65, which extends over a reversal range for the bail support member 45.The peripheral wall 65 further includes a front wall 65a which isextended up to the leading end portion of the support arm 41. Morespecifically, the peripheral wall 65 is erected from and elongated alonga peripheral edge portion of the support arm 41 so that the peripheralwall 65 adjacent the base portion 45a of the support member 45 extendsfrom a fishing line take-up side across an imaginary plane IP to afishing line play-out side. The imaginary plane IP is a plane whichcontains therein an axis X of the rotor 39 and intersects both thesupport arms 41 and 43 (see, for instance, FIG. 39). In this embodiment,the peripheral wall 65 terminates at a location substantially aligned ona pivot axis Y of the support member 45 along a direction of the axis Xof the rotor 39. Therefore, the cut-out portion 67 through which thesupport member 45 can make the pivot motion is completely located withinthe fishing line play-out side with respect to the axis X of the rotor39. This design, that the peripheral wall 65 extends up to the fishingline play-out side from the fishing line take-up side at a locationadjacent to the bail support member 45, positively protects the fishingline from being entangled on the support arm 41 and the bail supportmember 45.

In the particular position of the rotor shown in FIG. 39, for example, asecond imaginary plane IP2 is shown bisecting the spinning reel,including the rotor, into two substantially symmetrical halves. Thefirst imaginary plane IP actually illustrated in FIG. 39 extendsperpendicularly relative to the second imaginary plane IP2.

Also, reference numeral 69 stands for a cover which is used to cover thewhole of the storage portion 63. In the present embodiment, the cover 69and support arm 41 cooperate in forming a mounting portion 70 on theleading end side of the support arm 41 for mounting the bail supportmember 45. The over 69 is screwed to a cylindrical-shaped support shaft71 erected on the inner surface 63a of the storage portion 63. The baseportion 45a of the bail support member 45 is journaled on the supportshaft 71.

In order to prevent the entanglement of the fishing line during thefishing operation, the bail support member 45 is formed in such a mannerthat it has a smooth outer shape over an area ranging from the leadingend portion 45b thereof, on which a line roller (a fishing line guidemember) 72 is to be mounted, to the base portion 45a thereof. As shownin FIG. 3, the base portion 45a of the bail support member 45 is formedin a flat shape having a small thickness which not only permits the baseportion 45a to be inserted into the cut-out portion 67 and but alsoprevents the base portion 45a from projecting outwardly from the supportarm 41 in the width direction. That is, according to the presentembodiment, owing to the structure that the base portion 45a of the bailsupport member 45 is formed in a thin and flat shape in this manner andis journaled on the support shaft 71, the support arm 41 itself can bereduced in thickness. Further, owing to the structure that the baseportion 45a is covered with the cover 69 and the bail support member 45is formed as a smooth outer shape, it is possible to prevent theentanglement of the fishing line. Moreover, since the base end portion45a of the bail support member 45 is formed as the flat and thin plateconfiguration, since the base end portion 45a is arranged in surfacecontact with inner surfaces of the support arms 41 and cover 69, andsince portions of the cut-out portion 67 with which the bail supportmember 45 is slidingly contacted are made flush with the inner surfaceof the support arms 41 and cover 69, respectively, it is possible toreduce the thickness of the support arm 45.

The urging device 57 is a conventionally well known device in which, ,asshown in FIG. 2, a coil spring 73 is provided in the storage portion 63in such a manner that it is offset to one side of the storage portion 63and extends from the base end portion of the storage portion 63 towardthe leading end portion thereof. An operation rod 75, which is formed ina substantially linear shape and is engaged with the base portion 45a ofthe bail support member 45, is inserted into the coil spring 73 from theleading end of the coil spring 73. The upper end of the coil spring 73is engaged with a securing portion 77 which is formed in theintermediate portion of the operation rod 75, and, due to the biasing orurging action of the coil spring 73 using a dead point action, the bailsupport member 45 is urged to the fishing line play-out position with astrong force and to the fishing line take-up position with a weak force.The lower end 75a of the operation rod 75 is slightly curved for smoothguide action.

On the other hand, FIGS. 4 and 5 show the details of a mountingstructure for mounting the bail support member 47 and the details of thereturn device 59. In FIGS. 4 and 5, reference character 79 designates astorage portion for storing and mounting the return device 59. Thepresent storage portion 79 is similarly formed in such a manner that itis enclosed by a peripheral wall 81 erected along the peripheral edgeportion of the support arm 43. There is formed in the peripheral wall 81a cut-out portion 63 in such a manner that it extends over a reversalarea for the bail support member 47. More specifically, as shown in FIG.4, the peripheral wall 81 includes a cut-out portion 83 which is soformed in the peripheral wall 81 as to extend over a reversal arearanging from the fishing line take-up position of the bail supportmember 47 to the fishing line play-out position of the bail supportmember 47. The peripheral wall 81 further includes a front wall 81awhich extends up to the leading end portion of the support arm 43. Theperipheral wall 81 is erected from and elongated along a peripheral edgeportion of the support arm 43 so that the peripheral wall 81 terminatesat a location substantially aligned on the imaginary plane IP.Therefore, the cut-out portion 83 through which the support member 47can make the pivot motion is completely located within the fishing lineplay-out side with respect to the axis X of the rotor 39.

Also, reference numeral 85 designates a cover for covering the whole ofthe storage portion 79. The cover 85 is screwed to a support portion 87provided in the peripheral wall 81. The cover 85 and the storage portion79 of the support arm 43 cooperate in forming a mounting portion 88 onthe leading end side of the support arm 43 for mounting the bail supportmember 47. And, on the leading end side of the support arm 43, there isprovided a cylindrical-shaped support shaft 89 on which the base portion47a of the bail support member 47 is journaled. As shown in FIG. 5, thebase portion 47a of the bail support member 47 is formed in a flat shapehaving a small thickness which not only permits the base portion 47a tobe inserted through the cut-out portion 83 but also prevents it fromprojecting outwardly from the support arm in the width direction. Thebase portion 47a of the bail support member 47 is also covered with thecover 85.

In order to prevent the entanglement of fishing line during the fishingoperation, similarly to the bail support member 45, the bail supportmember 47 is formed in such a manner that it has a smooth outer shapeover an area ranging from the leading end portion 47b thereof to thebase portion 47a thereof.

In this manner, according to the present embodiment, similarly to thebail support member 45, the base portion 47a of the bail support member47 is also formed in a flat and thin shape and is journaled on thesupport shaft 89, thereby being able to reduce the thickness of thesupport arm 43 itself. Also, the base portion 47a of the bail supportmember 47 is covered with the cover 85, thereby being able to preventthe fishing line from becoming entangled.

As shown in FIG. 6, according to the present embodiment, in addition tothe fact that the support arms 41 and 43 themselves are reduced inthickness in this manner, the outside width dimension L₁ defined by thepresent support arms 41 and 43 is set equal to that of support armsemployed in a conventional spinning reel, and the ratio of the outsidediameter dimension L₂ of the front side flange portion 51a of the spool51 is set as 70% with respect to the present outside width dimension L₁.This allows the diameter of the spool 51 over the conventional spinningreel without increasing the entire size of the fishing reel. It ispreferable that the ratio L₂ /L₁ is set in the range of 60% to 80%.

Conventionally, in the spinning reel of this type, the ratio of theoutside diameter dimension of the front side flange portion of the spoolwith respect to the outside width dimension of the support arms is about50%.

However, as described before, in the spinning reel of a type that it hasa big size due to the increased thicknesses of the support arms, if thediameter of the spool is increased, then the rotor is increased in sizeto thereby increase the size of the reel main body, with the result thatthe whole spinning reel is increased in size and weight, which adverselyaffects on the fishing operation of the spinning reel.

In view of this, according to the present embodiment, the base portions45a and 47a of the bail support members 45 and 47 are respectivelyformed in a flat and thin shape without increasing the outside widthdimension L₁ of the support arms 41 and 43 of the rotor 39, and the thusformed base portions 45a and 47a are then journaled on the supportshafts 71 and 89, respectively provided within the mounting portions 70and 88, whereby the support arms 41 and 43 themselves can be reduced inthickness so that the diameter of the spool 51 can be increased. Becausethe outside width dimension, i.e. the diameter, L₂ of the front sideflange portion 51a of the spool 51 is increased, if it is not necessaryto increase the amount of the fishing line to be wound around thefishing line winding barrel portion 51c, then the diameter L₃ of thefishing line winding barrel portion 51c can be increased, to provide aspool having a shallow groove design. The shallow groove design has anadvantage in that the flying distance of the terminal device (that is,the casting ability) can be increased. Further, is the increaseddiameter of the spool 51 can provide an advantage in that the permanentdeformation hardly occurs on the fishing line. Alternatively, the axiallength L₅ of the rear side flange portion 51b may be set larger than theaxial length L₆ of the fishing line winding barrel portion 51c. inaddition, according to the increased diameter L₂ of the front sideflange portion 51a of the spool 51, the diameter L₄ of the rear sideflange portion 51b in the present embodiment is set equal to thediameter L₂. As noted above, because of the support arm n 41 and 43 andthe bail support members 45 and 47 which occupy very small space in thediametrical direction, great freedom for designing the spool can beobtained without increasing the size of the spinning reel.

If the diameter L₂ of the front side flange portion 51a of the spool 51is set in the range of 30 mm to 70 mm, the diameter L₃ of the fishingline winding barrel portion 51c relative to the diameter L₂ of the frontside flange portion 51a is Bet in the range of 0.7 to 0.9 and thediameter L₄ of the rear side flange portion 51b relative to the diameterL₂ of the front side flange portion 51a is set in the range of 0.95 to1.05, then the following advantages can be obtained. That is, thepermanent deformation hardly remains on the fishing line, the frictioncaused by the front side flange portion 51a onto the fishing line beingplayed out from the spool 51 is properly reduced to increase the flyingdistance, the speed of winding-up or take-up the fishing line onto thespool 51 can be increased, and the necessary, proper amount of thefishing line to be wound onto the spool 51 can be obtained. Therefore,the winding ability and the casting ability can be enhanced by thecombination of these features. In addition, the winding ability and thecasting ability can be further enhanced if the diameter L₂ of the frontside flange portion 51a is set in the range of 40 mm to 60 mm, thediameter L₃ of the fishing line winding barrel portion 51c is set in therange of 30 mm to 50 mm, the diameter of the rear side flange portion51b is set in the range of 40 mm to 60 mm, the diameter L₃ of thefishing line winding barrel portion 51c relative to the diameter L₂ ofthe front side flange portion 51a is set in the range of 0.7 to 0.9 andthe diameter L₄ of the rear side flange portion 51b relative to thediameter L₂ of the front side flange portion 51a is set in the range of0.95 to 1.05.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the return device 59 Includes a substantiallyL-shaped kick member 93, which can be rotatably mounted on a supportshaft 91 provided on and projecting from the inner surface 79a of thestorage portion 79, and an operation body 99, which is connected throughan elongated hole 95 to the kick member 93 by an engaging pin 97. Whenthe bail support member 47 is situated at the fishing line take-upposition, an engaging portion 103, which is formed in the kick member insuch a manner that it extends from the rear end side of the kick member93, is pressed against the inner periphery of the peripheral wall 81 dueto the spring force of a torsion spring 101 wound around the supportshaft 91.

Also, in the base portion 47a of the bail support member 47, there isformed a stepped portion 105 which, when the bail support members 45 and47 are reversed from their respective fishing line take-up positions totheir respective fishing line play-out positions, butts against theleading end of the operation body 99 to thereby press the operation bodydownward. That is, it the bail support members 45 and 47 are reversed totheir respective fishing line play-out positions and the operation body99 is moved downward in this manner, then the kick member 93 is rotatedabout the support shaft 91 against the spring force of the torsionspring 101, so that the engaging portion 103 of the kick member 93 isprojects backwardly of the reel main body 37 from an opening 107 formedin the peripheral wall 81.

The bail support members 45 and 47 are positioned and held selectivelyat their respective fishing line play-out or take-up positions by thepreviously-mentioned urging device 57. As shown in FIG. 1, a returningprojection 111 is provided on the leg portion of the reel main body 37in such a manner that it projects forwardly of the leg portion 109. Whenthe bail support members 45 and 47 are situated at their respectivefishing line play-out positions, for example, if an angler operates thehandle to thereby rotate the rotor 39 in the fishing line take-updirection, then the engaging portion 103 abuts against the returningprojection 111 so as to rotate the kick member 93 to a position shown bya solid line in FIG. 4 due to the spring force of the torsion spring101. As a result of this, the operation body 99 is moved upward whilebeing pressed against the stepped portion 105 of the bail support member47, to thereby rotate the bail support members 45 and 47 toward thefishing line take-up position side thereof.

When the bail support members 45 and 47 are reversed in this manner,then the operation rod 75 of the urging device 57. FIGS. 2 and 3 ispressed downward to thereby compress the coil spring 73 and. If theoperation rod 75 is moved on and exceeds the dead point of the coilspring 73, then the bail support members 45 and 47 can be held at theirrespective fishing line take-up positions due to the spring force of thecoil spring 73.

In FIG. 4, reference character 113 designates a guide portion which isextended from the peripheral wall 81 for guiding the operation body 99.

Since the spinning reel 61 according to the present embodiment isstructured in the above-mentioned manner, when playing out the fishingline, if the bail support members 45 and 47 situated at their respectivefishing line take-up positions are operated or reversed by hand throughthe bail 49 toward their respective fishing line play-out positions,then the operation rod 75 of the urging device 57 is pressed downward tothereby compress the coil spring 73. If the present operation rod 75exceeds the dead point of the coil spring 73, then the operation rod 75,as shown by a two-dot chained line in FIG. 2, can hold the bail supportmembers 45 and 47 at their respective fishing line play-out positionsdue to the spring force of the coil spring 73.

Also, with the manual reversal operation of the two bail support members45 and 47 toward their respective fishing line play-out positions, thestepped portion 105 formed in the base portion 47a of the bail supportmember 47 rotates the kick member 93 through the operation body 99against the spring force of the torsion spring 101. Due to this, asshown by a two-dot chained line in FIG. 4, the engaging portion 103 isprojected backwardly of the reel main body 37 from the opening 107formed in the peripheral wall 81.

On the other hand, if the two bail support members 45 and 47 held attheir respective fishing line play-out positions are reversed to theirrespective fishing line take-up positions by operating or returning themmanually, then the pressed condition of the operation body 99 by thestepped portion 105 is removed and thus the kick member 93 is rotated toa position shown by a solid line in FIG. 4 due to the spring force ofthe torsion spring 101 and, at the same time, the operation rod 75 ofthe urging device 57 is pressed downward. That is, while compressing thecoil spring 73, the operation rod 75 exceeds the dead point of the coilspring 73, so that the operation rod 75 can hold the two bail supportmembers 45 and 47 at their respective fishing line take-up positions asshown by a solid line in FIG. 2.

Also, when the two bail support members 45 and 47 are held at theirrespective fishing line play-out positions, if the angler rotates therotor 39 in the fishing line take-up direction by means of the handleoperation, then, as described above, the engaging portion 103 abutsagainst the returning projection 111. As a result and thus the kickmember 93 is rotated to a position shown by a solid line in FIG. 4 dueto the spring force of the torsion spring 101. As a result of this,while being pressed against the stepped portion 105 formed in the baseportion 47a of the bail support member 47, the operation body 99 ismoved upward to thereby reverse the bail support member 47 to itsfishing line take-up position side. And, when the bail support member 47is rotated in this manner, then the operation rod 75 of the urgingdevice 57 similarly exceeds the dead point of the coil spring 73, sothat the operation rod 75 can hold the two bail support members 45 and47 at their respective fishing line take-up positions due to the springforce of the coil spring 73.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the baseportions 45a and 47a of the bail support members 45 and 47 arerespectively formed in a thin and flat shape which prevents the baseportions 45a and 47a from projecting outwardly of the width of thesupport arms 41 and 43 and the thus formed base portions 45a and 47a arethen journaled on the support shafts 71 and 89 respectively, therebybeing able to reduce the thicknesses of the support arms 41 and 43themselves. Also, the outside width dimension L₁ of the present supportarms 41 and 43 is set equal to that of the support arms provided in theconventional spinning reel. The ratio of the outside diameter dimensionL₂ of the front side flange portion 51a of the spool 51 with respect tothe present outside width dimension L₁ is set as 70% to thereby increasethe diameter of the spool 51. The base portions 45a and 47a are coveredwith the covers 69 and 85 respectively. Thanks to this, the fishing linecan be taken up around the spool 51 at a high winding speed withoutbecoming entangled around the bail support members 45 and 47.

That is, according to the present embodiment, the diameter of the spool51 can be increased without increasing the sizes of the rotor 39 andreel main body 37. Also, the projecting elements are removed from thesurfaces of the support arms 41 and 43 to thereby prevent the fishingline from becoming twined around the support arms 41 and 43 in thefishing operation of the spinning reel. As a result, so that thediameter of the spool 51 can be increased without worsening theefficiency of the fishing operation of the spinning reel.

Therefore, the increased diameter of the spool 51 allows the fishingline winding speed to be increased, makes it difficult for the fishingline to be deformed strangely, thereby facilitating the thumbingoperation of the spinning reel, and permits a brake plate to beincreased in size to thereby enhance the drag force of the drag device.That is, due to the increased diameter of the spool 51, the practicaluse of the spinning reel can be improved further.

Moreover, according to the present embodiment, the two bail supportmembers 45 and 47 are so formed as to have a smooth outer shape, and thebase portions 45a and 47a thereof are formed in such flat and thinshapes that prevent the base portions 45a and 47a from protecting outfrom the storage portions 63 and 79. The thus formed base portions 45aand 47a are slidably mounted on the inner surfaces 63a and 79a of thestorage portions 63 and 79, the base portions 45a and 47a arerespectively covered with the covers 69 and 85, and the front walls 65aand 61a of the peripheral walls 65 and 81 are respectively extended upto the respective leading end portions of the support arms 41 and 43.Due to this, the covers 69, 85, front walls 65a, 81a, and bail supportmembers 45, 47 themselves operate positively to prevent the fishing linefrom becoming entangled during the fishing operation. Accordingly, thefishing line can be taken up securely around the spool 51 withoutbecoming entangled around the bail support members 45, 47, the leadingend portions of the support arms 41, 43, or the like.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, since thefishing line can be securely taken up around the spool 51 withoutbecoming entangled around the bail support members 45, 47, the leadingend portions of the support arms 41, 43, or the like. This eliminatesthe possibility that the fishing line can be entangled during thefishing operation, which improves the efficiency of the fishingoperation of the present spinning reel greatly over the conventionalspinning reels.

Now, FIG. 7 shows a section view of a support arm employed in a secondembodiment of a spinning reel according to the invention. In theabove-mentioned first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, on the leading endside of the support arm 41, the mounting portion 70 for mounting thebail support member 45 is formed by means of cooperation between thestorage portion 63 provided in the present support arm 41 and the cover69 for covering the storage portion 63, and the base portion 45a of thebail support member 45 is covered with the cover 69. On the other hand,according to the present second embodiment, only the urging device 57 iscovered with a cover 117. That is, the cover 117 is located to coveronly the lower portion of the storage portion 63. In order to preventthe entanglement of the fishing line during the fishing operation, thebase portion 115a of a bail support member 115 is so formed as to have athickness which produces no level difference between the base portion115a and the cover 117, the thus formed base portion 115a is journaledon the support shaft 71 provided on the leading end side of the supportarm 41, and the bail support member 115 is mounted in such a manner thatit can be reversed between its fishing line take-up and play-outpositions.

Here, since the remaining portions of the structure of the presentembodiment are similar to those of the previously described embodiment,the same parts are given the same designations and the descriptionthereof is omitted here.

As mentioned above, according to the present embodiment as well, sincethe projecting elements are removed from the surface of the support arm115, not only can the fishing line be prevented from being entangledduring the fishing operation of the reel, but also the diameter of thespool 51 can be increased without increasing the sizes of the rotor 39and reel main body 37. As a result of this, similarly to the previouslydescribed embodiment, the expected object of the present invention canbe achieved.

Now, FIGS. 8 and 9 show the details of an urging device 135 of a bailsupport member employed in a third embodiment of a spinning reelaccording to the invention. Here, since the remaining portions of thestructure of the present embodiment are similar to those of theembodiment previously described in connection with FIGS. 1 to 6, thesame parts are given the same designations and the description thereofis omitted here.

In FIGS. 8 and 9, reference character 119 designates a coil spring whichis provided in such a manner that it extends from the center of the baseend portion of the storage portion 63 formed in the support arm 41toward the leading end thereof and, on the leading end of the coilspring 119, there is mounted a substantially cannonball-shaped stopper123 which is guided by a guide portion 121 extended from the peripheralwall 65. The stopper 123 is always pressed against the outer peripheryof the base portion 45a of the bail support member 45 due to the springforce of the coil spring 119.

Also, a cam portion 125 is provided on and projects from the outerperiphery of the base portion 45a of the bail support member 45. Inparticular, when the two bail support members 45 and 47 are held attheir respective fishing line take-up positions shown by a solid line,the stopper 123 is pressed against one arc portion 125a of the camportion 125. On the other hand, when the bail support members 45 and 47are situated at their respective fishing line play-out positions shownby a two-dot chained line, the stopper 123 is pressed against the otherarc portion 125b of the cam portion 125. That is, the stopper 123 isable to switchingly urge and hold the two bail support members 45 and 47at their fishing line take-up or play-out positions.

Now, FIGS. 10 and 11 respectively show the details of an urging device137 of a bail support member employed in a fourth embodiment of aspinning reel according to the invention. In FIGS. 10 and 11, referencecharacter 127 designates a stopper which is mounted on the leading endof a coil spring 73. The coil spring 73 is provided in the base endportion of a storage portion 63 in such a manner that it extends towardthe leading end of the storage portion 63 and is offset to one side. Thestopper 127 is always pressed against the base portion 45a of a bailsupport member 45 due to the spring force of the spring coil 73.

On the outer periphery of the base portion 45a of the bail supportmember 45, there is provided an engaging projection 129 with which thestopper 127 can be engaged, and there is formed a stepped portion 131substantially on the opposite side to the engaging projection 129 withrespect to a support shaft 71.

Also, on the peripheral wall 65, there is provided a stopper piecemember 133 projecting toward the support shaft 71 and, when the bailsupport member 45 is situated at its fishing line take-up position shownby a solid line, the stopper piece member 133 is pressed against thestepped portion 131 of the base portion 45a urged counterclockwise bythe stopper 127 in engagement with the engaging projection 129, so thatthe bail support member 45 can be positioned and held at the fishingline take-up position.

On the other hand, if the bail support member 45 is reversed to itsfishing line play-out position shown by a two-dot chained line, then thestopper 127 is pressed against the stopper piece member 133 due to theaction of the coil spring 73, so that the bail support member 45 can bepositioned and held at the fishing line play-out position.

Here, the remaining portions of the structure of the present embodimentare similar to those of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and, therefore,the same parts are given the same designations and the descriptionthereof is omitted here.

Accordingly the base portions 45a and 47a of the bail support members 45and 47 are respectively formed in a thin and flat shape having a widthwhich prevents the respective base portions 45 and 47 from projectingoutwardly of the support arms 41 and 43. Also the outside widthdimension of the support arms 41 and 43, and the thus formed baseportions 45a and 47a are respectively journaled on the support shafts 71and 89 of the mounting portions 70 and 88, Thus, according to theseembodiments as well, it is possible to prevent the fishing line fromturning in the fishing operation of the reel. Also, the support arms 41and 43 themselves can be reduced in thickness to thereby be able toincrease the diameter of the spool 51. That is, similarly to theembodiment shown in FIG. 1, according to the present embodiments aswell, the expected object of the invention can be attained.

Now, FIGS. 12 to 14 and FIGS. 15 to 17 respectively show the details ofurging devices of bail support members respectively employed in fifthand sixth embodiments of a spinning reel according to the invention.

In these respective embodiments as well, the other remaining portions ofthe present embodiments than the urging devices thereof are similar tothose of the first embodiment previously described in connection withFIG. 1 and, therefore, the same parts are given the same designationsand the description thereof is omitted here.

In particular, in FIGS. 12 and 13, reference character 139 designates astopper including a leading end which is rotatably connected with thebase portion 45a of the bail support member 45 through an engaging pin141. Also, the rear portion of the stopper 139 is mounted on the leadingend of a coil spring 73 which is provided in the base end portion of thestorage portion 63 in such a manner that it extends toward the leadingend of the storage portion 63 and is offset to one side thereof, and thestopper 139 always urges the bail support member 45 due to the springforce of the coil spring 73.

On the outer periphery of the base portion 45a of the bail supportmember 45, there is formed a stepped portion 143 almost on the oppositeside to the connecting portion (i.e. the engaging pin 141) of the bailsupport member 45 with the stopper 139 with respect to a support shaft71. Also, on the peripheral wall 65, there is provided a stopper piecemember 145 which projects toward the support shaft 71. In particular,when the bail support member 45 is situated at a fishing line take-upposition shown by a solid line, the stopper piece member 145 is pressedagainst the stepped portion 143 of the base portion 45a of the bailsupport member 45 urged counterclockwise by the stopper 139, so that thebail support member 45 can be positioned and held. On the other hand, ifthe bail support member 45 is reversed to a fishing line play-outposition shown by a two-dot chained line, then the stopper 139 pressesthe connecting portion thereof with the base portion 45a against thestopper piece member 145 due to the action of the coil spring 73, sothat the bail support member 45 can be positioned and held at thefishing line play-out position.

Also, in addition to the above-mentioned structure, the presentembodiment is characterized in that there is provided in the stopper 139a closing member 147 which, when the two bail support members 45 and 47are held at their respective fishing line take-up positions, closes acut-out portion 67 formed in the peripheral wall 65 of the bail supportmember 45.

The closing member 147 is a flat plate member which is formed integrallywith the stopper 139 and, as shown in FIGS. 12 to 14, when the bailsupport member 45 is held at the fishing line take-up position, theclosing member 147 closes the cut-out portion 67 formed in theperipheral wall 65 to thereby be able to prevent foreign material fromentering through the cut-out portion 67. On the other hand, as shown bya two-dot chained line in FIG. 12, when the bail support member 45 isreversed to the fishing line play-out position, then the closing member147 opens the cut-out portion 67.

As described above, according to the present embodiment as well,similarly to the previously described respective embodiments, thesupport arms 41 and 43 themselves are reduced in thickness to thereby beable to increase the diameter of the spool 51, and the entanglement ofthe fishing line is prevented to thereby be able to enhance theefficiency of the fishing operation of the spinning reel. In addition tothis, according to the present embodiment, since it is possible toprevent foreign material from entering into the storage portion 63 ofthe support arm 41, the present spinning reel can be used reliably evenin a severe fishing spot.

Referring now to an embodiment shown in FIGS. 15 to 17, instead of thestructure of the above-mentioned embodiment in which the closing member147 is formed integral with the stopper 139, the embodiment shown inFIG. 1 is modified in such a manner that a closing member is provided asa separate member.

That is, in these figures, reference character 149 designates a guidewall which is provided in a storage portion 63 in such a manner that itextends from the base end portion of the support arm 41 toward theleading end thereof, and 151 a flat-plate-like closing member which isinserted between the present guide wall 149 and peripheral wall 65.Also, a coil spring 153 is mounted on the lower portion of the presentclosing member 151 so that the closing member 151 is always pressedagainst the bail support member 45 due to the spring force of thepresent coil spring 153.

When the bail support member 45 is held at a fishing line take-upposition shown by a solid line, the closing member 151 is pressedagainst the outer periphery of the base portion 45a of the bail supportmember 45 due to the spring force of the extended coil spring 153 tothereby close a cut-out portion 67 formed in the peripheral wall 65. Onthe other hand, if the bail support member 45 is reversed from thefishing line take-up position to the fishing line play-out position,then the closing member 151 is pressed downward by the bail supportmember 45 against the spring force of the coil spring 153, as shown by atwo-dot chained line.

Here, in order to prevent the bail support member 45 at the fishing lineplay-out position from being reversed in the fishing line take-updirection by the closing member 151, the spring force of the coil spring153 is set weaker than that of the coil spring 73.

As described above, according to the present embodiment as well,similarly to the embodiment shown in FIG. 12, removal of the projectingelements from the surface of the support arm 41 not only can prevent theentanglement of the fishing line to thereby improve the efficiency ofthe fishing operation of the present spinning reel, but also can reducethe thickness of the support arm 41 itself to thereby increase thediameter of the spool 51. Also, the present embodiment can preventforeign material from entering into the support arm 41. That is, thespinning reel according to the present embodiment can be used reliablyeven in a severe fishing spot.

Now, FIG. 18 shows a side view, partly in section, of the main portionsof a rotor which is mounted in a spinning reel according to a seventhembodiment of the invention. In the present embodiment as well, the sameparts as in the above-mentioned respective embodiments are given thesame designations and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

In FIG. 18, reference character 155 designates a support arm provided ina rotor 157 and 159 stands for a spool. On the leading end portion ofthe support arm 155, there is mounted a bail support member 45 in such amanner that it can be reversed between its fishing line take-up andplay-out positions. In particular, the bail support member 45 can beswitchingly urged to and held at the fishing line take-up and play-outpositions by an urging device 163 which is installed within a storageportion 161 of the support arm 155. By the way, the present urgingdevice 163 is substantially the same in structure as the embodimentshown in FIG. 12 and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

The storage portion 161 is formed in such a manner that it is enclosedby the peripheral wall of the support arm 155 over an area ranging fromthe base end portion of the surface of the support arm 155 to theleading end portion thereof. Also, there is mounted a cover 165 which isused to cover the whole of the present storage portion 161. In thepresent embodiment as well, the present cover 165 and the storageportion 161 of the support arm 155 cooperate in forming a mountingportion 167 on the leading end side of the support arm 155 for mountingthe bail support member 45.

As shown in FIG. 18, on the inner surface 165a of the leading endportion of the cover 165, there is provided a cylindrical support shaft169. In particular, the support shaft 169 is engaged with an engaginghole 171 formed in the support arm 155 and a screw 173 is screwed intothe support shaft 169, whereby the cover 165 is threadedly engaged withthe support arm 155. That is, according to the present embodiment, thebase portion 45a of the bail support member 45 is journaled on thepresent support shaft 169 in such a manner that the bail support member45 can be reversed between the fishing line take-up and play-outpositions, thereby removing the projecting elements from the surface ofthe support arm 155 to be able to prevent the entanglement of thefishing line.

Also, in the present embodiment as well, similarly to the embodimentshown in FIG. 1, the outside width dimension L₁ of the support arms 155and 174 respectively provided in the rotor 157 is set equal to that ofthe support arms provided in the conventional spinning reel, and theratio of the outside diameter dimension L₂ of the front side flangeportion 159a of the spool 159 with respect to the present outside widthdimension L₁ is set 70%, thereby being able to increase the diameter ofthe spool 159. Further, according to the present embodiment, the fishingline winding barrel portion 159b of the spool 159 is formed in a tapershape (an inverted taper shape) which increases sequentially in diameterforwardly in the spool shaft (X) direction. The ratio of the outsidediameter dimension L₃ of the fishing line winding barrel portion 159bwith respect to the outside diameter dimension L₂ of the front sideflange portion 159a (L₃ /L₂) is set in the range of 0.7 to 0.9.

In this manner, according to the present embodiment as well, not onlythe entanglement of the fishing line is prevented to thereby be able toenhance the efficiency of the fishing operation of the spinning reel,but also the thickness of the support arm 155 itself is reduced tothereby be able to increase the diameter of the spool 159. In additionto these effects, according to the present embodiment, since the spool159 is so formed to have an inverted taper shape, even if the fishingline is fully wound around the spool 159 up to the outside diameterdimension L₂ of the front side flange portion 159a, there is eliminatedthe possibility that the fishing line can collapse when it is playedout, thereby being able to secure a sufficient amount of winding of thefishing line.

In the spinning reel according to the seventh embodiment of the presentinvention, the fishing line winding barrel portion 159b is tapered at anangle of 0.5° to 50° with respect to the common axis X of the rotor 157and the spool 159 so that a diameter of the fishing line winding barrelportion 159b is gradually decreased from the front side flange portion159a to the rear side flange portion 159c, and an axial length L₅ of therear side flange portion 159c along the axis X is larger than an axiallength L₆ of the fishing line winding barrel portion 159b. According tothe combination of these designs for the spool 159, a proper friction isapplied onto a fishing line during when the fishing line is released(played out) from the spool 159 and thus it is possible to prevent thebacklash of the fishing line and the looseness of the fishing line.Because of the above-noted advantage, it is possible to fully wind thefishing line onto the fishing line barrel portion 159b up to the outerperiphery of the front side flange portion 159a, to thereby increase theflying or casting distance of the fishing hooks.

Further, in the spinning reel according to the seventh embodiment of thepresent invention, a diameter L₄ of the rear side flange portion 159crelative to a diameter L₂ of the front side flange portion 159a is setat 0.95 to 1.05. Accordingly, a proper friction is applied onto afishing line during the time when the fishing line is released (playedout) from the spool and thus it is possible to prevent the backlash ofthe fishing line and the looseness of the fishing line. Because of theabove-noted advantage, it is possible to fully wind the fishing lineonto the fishing line barrel portion up to the outer periphery of thefront side flange portion, to thereby increase the flying or castingdistance of the fishing hooks while increasing the amount of the fishingline to be wound onto the spool 159.

Now, FIG. 19 shows a side view, partly in section, of the main portionsof an eighth embodiment of a spinning reel according to the invention.According to the present embodiment, instead of the above-mentionedspool 159, the outside diameter dimension L₂ of the front side flangeportion 175a of a spool 175 is set larger than the outside diameterdimension L₄ of the rear side flange portion (the skirt portion) 175b ofthe spool 175, the fishing line winding barrel portion 175c of the spool175 is formed in a substantially straight shape, and the ratio of theoutside diameter dimension L₃ of the fishing line winding barrel portion175c with respect to the outside diameter dimension L₂ of the front sideflange portion 175a (L₃ /L₂) is set in the range of 0.7 to 0.9. However,the remaining portions of the structure of the present embodiment aresimilar to those of the embodiment shown in FIG. 18 and, therefore, thesame parts are given the same designations and the description thereofis omitted here.

In this manner, according to the present embodiment as well, theentanglement of the fishing line is prevented to thereby enhance theefficiency of the fishing operation of the spinning reel as well as thethickness of the support arm 155 itself is reduced to thereby be able toincrease the diameter of the spool 175. In addition to these effects,according to the present embodiment, even if the fishing line is woundaround the fishing line winding barrel portion 175c by an amount almostequivalent to the outside diameter dimension L₄ of the rear side flangeportion 175b, because the front side flange portion 175a of the spool175 is larger in the outside diameter than the rear side flange portion175b, the fishing operation can be carried out without collapsing thefishing line and the fishing line can be wound in a larger amount,thereby being able to prevent the fishing line from being strangelydeformed or twisted as much as possible.

In the spinning reel according to the eighth embodiment of the presentinvention, a diameter L₄ of the rear side flange portion 175b relativeto a diameter L₂ of the front side flange portion 175a is set at 0.95 to1.05. Accordingly, a proper friction is applied onto a fishing line whenthe fishing line is released (played out) from the spool 175 and thus itis possible to prevent the backlash of the fishing line and thelooseness of the fishing line. Because of the above-noted advantage, itis possible to fully wind the fishing line onto the fishing line barrelportion 175c up to the outer periphery of the front side flange portion175a, to thereby increase the flying or casting distance of the fishinghooks.

FIG. 20 shows a ninth embodiment of a spinning reel according to theinvention. In FIG. 20, reference character 177 designates a support armand 179 stands for a cover fixed to the surface of the present supportarm 177 through a screw 181. According to the present embodiment, thesupport arm 177 is formed shorter in length than the cover 179 and, onthe inner surface 179a of the leading end portion of the cover 179,there is provided a cylindrical support shaft 183 on which the baseportion 115a of a bail support member 115 can be journaled. Also, inorder to prevent a fishing line from being entangled during the fishingoperation of the reel, the base portion 115a of the bail support member115 is so formed as to have a thickness which produces no leveldifference between the support arm 177 and the base portion 115a whenthe present base portion 115a is journaled on the support shaft 183through a screw 185.

The remaining portions of the structure of the present embodiment aresimilar to those of the embodiment shown in FIG. 18 and thus thedescription thereof is omitted here.

As described above, according to the present embodiment as well, it ispossible to prevent the entanglement of the fishing line during thefishing operation of the reel and, at the same time, the diameter of thespool can be increased without increasing the sizes of the rotor andreel main body.

Now, FIG. 21 shows a tenth embodiment of a spinning reel according tothe invention. Similarly to the embodiment shown in FIG. 20, in thepresent embodiment as well, a support arm 189 is formed shorter inlength than a cover 187, on the inner surface 187a of the leading endportion of the cover 187, there is provided a cylindrical support shaft191 on which the base portion 45a of the bail support member 45 can bejournaled, and the present base portion 45a is so formed as to have athickness which produces no level difference between the support arm 189and the base portion 45a. In the present embodiment, in place of theabove-mentioned screw 185, there is employed a pin 193 by which the bailsupport member 45 is mounted in such a manner that it can be reversedbetween its fishing line take-up and play-out positions.

That is, in the above-mentioned support shaft 191, there is formed a pininsertion hole 195. On the back surface of the base portion 45a, thereis formed a cut-out portion 199 which is used to mount a retainer 197into the insertion side leading end portion of the pin 193. Inparticular, if the pin 193 is inserted into the pin insertion hole 195from the surface side of the cover 187 and the retainer 197 is mountedinto the insertion side leading end portion of the pin 193, then thebail support member 45 can be mounted in such a manner that it can bereversed between the fishing line take-up and play-out positions.

Now, FIG. 22 shows an eleventh embodiment of a spinning reel accordingto the invention. The present embodiment is a modified version of theembodiment shown in FIG. 20. In the present embodiment, the base portion45a of the bail support member 45 is so formed as to have a thicknesswhich prevents the base portion 45a from projecting outwardly of thesupport arm 177, the head portion 201a of a screw 201 for journaling thebail support member 45 onto the support shaft 183 is formed in such amanner that it has a large diameter, and the present head portion 201ais used to secure the bail support member 45 against removal.

Similarly to the previously described embodiments, the expected objectof the present invention can be achieved by these embodiments.

FIG. 23 shows a twelfth embodiment of a spinning reel according to theinvention. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 18, the cover 165 includingthe support shaft 169 is mounted on the surface side of the support arm155. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, there isformed a recess-like storage portion 205 in the radially inner side of asupport arm 203. The present storage portion 205 and cover 165 cooperatein forming a mounting portion 207 in the leading end portion of thesupport arm 203 for mounting the bail support member 45, and the bailsupport member 45 is mounted on the support shaft 169 in such a mannerthat it can be reversed between its fishing line take-up and play-outpositions.

Now, FIG. 24 shows a thirteenth embodiment of a spinning reel accordingto the invention. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 20, the cover 179including the support shaft 183 is mounted on the surface side of thesupport arm 177. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment,a cover 179 is mounted on the radially inner side of a support arm 209,the present support arm 209 is formed shorter than the cover 179, thebase portion 115a of the bail support member 115 is so formed as to havea thickness which produces no level difference between the support arm209 and the present base portion 115a, and the bail support member 115is mounted on the support shaft 183 provided in the cover 179 in such amanner that it can be reversed between the fishing line take-up andplay-out positions thereof.

Due to this, according to these respective embodiments as well, thefishing line can be prevented from becoming entangled during the fishingoperation of the spinning reel and also the diameter of the spool can beincreased without increasing the sizes of the rotor and reel main body.

Now, FIG. 25 shows a fourteenth embodiment of a spinning reel accordingto the invention. In the present embodiment as well, similarly to theembodiment shown in FIG. 1, a support arm 211 and a cover 213 to bemounted on the surface of the support arm 211 cooperate in forming amounting portion 215 in the leading end portion of the support arm 211for mounting the bail support member 45, and the base portion 45a of thebail support member 45 is journaled on the support shaft 217 which isprovided on and projected from the inner surface 211a of the support arm211. In the present embodiment, a screw 185 is screwed into a supportshaft 217 from a mounting hole 216 formed in the cover 213, and the headportion 185a of the screw 185 is used to secure the bail support member45 against removal. The present head portion 185a is set such that it isprevented from projecting out of the surface of the cover 213.

Now, FIG. 26 shows a section view of the main portions of a mountingstructure for mounting a bail support member employed in a fifteenthembodiment of a spinning reel according to the invention. In the presentembodiment as well, not only is the base portion 115a of a bail supportmember 115 journaled on a support shaft 221 provided on the leading endside of a support arm 219 and not only is the present bail supportmember 115 mounted in such a manner that it can be reversed between thefishing line take-up and play-out positions thereof but also, in orderto prevent the entanglement of the fishing line during the fishingoperation of the spinning reel, the base portion 115a of the bailsupport member 115 is so for med as to have a thickness which producesno level difference between a cover member 223 and the base portion115a. Further, according to the present embodiment, instead of thescrew, there is used a pin 193, that is, the support member 115 ismounted by use of the pin 193 in such a manner that the support member115 can be reversed between the fishing line take-up and play-outpositions thereof.

That is, as shown in FIG. 26, in the above-mentioned support shaft 221,there is formed a pin insertion hole 225. Also, on the back surface ofthe support arm 219, there is formed a cut-out portion 227 which is usedto mount a retainer 197 onto the insertion side leading end portion ofthe pin 193. In particular, if the pin 193 is inserted into the pininsertion hole 225 and the retainer 197 is mounted onto the insertionside leading end portion of the pin 193, then the bail support member115 can be mounted in such a manner that it can be reversed between thefishing line take-up and play-out positions thereof.

In this manner, according to these respective embodiments as well, thefishing line can be prevented from getting entangled during the fishingoperation of the spinning reel and also the diameter of the spool can beincreased without increasing the sizes of the rotor and reel main body.

Now, FIG. 27 shows a sixteenth embodiment of a spinning reel accordingto the invention. In the present embodiment as well, the base portion45a of the bail support member 45 is journaled on a support shaft 231provided on the leading end side of a support arm 229 and the presentbail support member 45 is mounted in such a manner that it can bereversed between the fishing line take-up and play-out positionsthereof. The base portion 45a of the bail support member 45 is so formedas to have a thickness which prevents the base portion 45a fromprojecting outwardly of the support arm 229. Similarly to the embodimentshown in FIG. 22, the head portion 233a of a screw 233 for journalingthe bail support member 45 on the support member 231 is formed in such amanner that it has a large diameter, and the present head portion 233ais used to prevent the bail support member 45 against removal. Thepresent head portion 233a is formed flush with a cover 235.

Now, FIG. 28 shows a seventeenth embodiment of a spinning reel accordingto the invention. In the present embodiment as well, similarly to thefirst embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a support arm 237 and a cover 239 tobe mounted on the surface of the support arm 237 cooperate in forming amounting portion 241 in the leading end portion of the support arm 237for mounting the bail support member 45, and the base portion 45a of thebail support member 45 is journaled on a support shaft 243 which isprovided on and projects from the inner surface 237a of the support arm237. In the present embodiment, there is provided a slight clearancebetween the cover 239 and an urging device 163 or the base portion 45aof the bail support member 45.

FIG. 29 shows an eighteenth embodiment of a spinning reel according tothe invention. In the present embodiment an well, a support arm 245 anda cover 247 cooperate in forming a mounting portion 249 in the leadingend portion of the support arm 245 for mounting the bail support member45, and the base portion 45a of the bail support member 45 is journaledon a support shaft 251 which is provided on and projects from the innersurface 245a of the support arm 245. In the present embodiment, unlikethe previously described embodiments, the cover 247 is mounted on theback surface side (the radially inner side) of the support arm 245.

FIG. 30 shows a nineteenth embodiment of a spinning reel according tothe invention. In the present embodiment as well, a support arm 253 anda cover 255 cooperate in forming a mounting portion 257 in the leadingend portion of the support arm 253 for mounting the bail support member45, and the base portion 45a of the bail support member 45 is so formedas to have a thickness which prevents the present base portion 45a fromprojecting outwardly of the support arm 253. In the present embodiment,a pin 193 serving as a mounting shaft is inserted through the supportarm 253, the base portion 45a of the bail support member 45 and thecover 255, and a retainer 197 is mounted on the insertion side leadingend portion of the pin 193, whereby the bail support member 45 ismounted in such a manner that it can be reversed between the fishingline take-up and play-out positions thereof.

FIG. 31 shows a twentieth embodiment of a spinning reel according to theinvention. In the present embodiment as well, a support arm 259 and acover 261 to be mounted on the surface of the support arm 259 cooperatein forming a mounting portion 263 in the leading end portion of thesupport arm 259 for mounting the bail support member 45. In addition tothis, according to the present embodiment, a pair of support shafts 265projecting toward the support arm 259 and cover 261 are providedcoaxially to each other on the base portion 45a of the bail supportmember 45, and the present support shafts 265 are journaled in mountingholes 267 and 269 respectively formed in the support arm 259 and cover261, whereby the bail support member 45 is mounted in such a manner thatit can be reversed between the fishing line take-up and play-outpositions thereof.

Now, FIG. 32 shows a twenty-first embodiment of a spinning reelaccording to the invention. In the present embodiment, unlike theembodiment shown in FIG. 31, a cover 273 is mounted on the back surfaceBide of a support arm 271, the present cover 273 and support arm 271cooperate in forming a mounting portion 275 in the leading end portionof the support arm 271 for mounting the bail support member 45, and apair of support shafts 265 provided on and projected from the baseportion 45a of the bail support member 45 are journaled in mountingholes 277 and 279 respectively formed in the cover 273, whereby the bailsupport member 45 is mounted in such a manner that it can be reversedbetween the fishing line take-up and play-out positions thereof.

Now, FIG. 33 shows a twenty-second embodiment of a spinning reelaccording to the invention. In the present embodiment as well, similarlyto the embodiment shown in FIG. 30, a support arm 281 and a cover 283 tobe mounted on the surface of the support arm 281 cooperate in forming amounting portion 285 in the leading end portion of the support arm 281for mounting the bail support member 45, and the base portion 45a of thebail support member 45 is so formed as to have a thickness whichprevents the base portion 45 from projecting outwardly of the supportarm 281. In the present embodiment, a cylindrically-shaped mountingshaft 287 is provided to pass through the support arm 281, the baseportion 45a of the bail support member 45 and the cover 283, and thebase portion 45a of the bail support member 45 is journaled on themounting shaft 287 by use of a screw 185.

In addition, in FIG. 33, reference character 289 designates a stopperwhich is provided in the mounting shaft 287. When the base portion 45ais screwed to the mounting shaft 287 by the screw 185, the presentstopper 289 is engaged with a cut-out portion 291 formed in the supportarm 281.

FIGS. 36 and 37 show a support arm provided in a rotor employed in atwenty-third embodiment of a spinning reel according to the invention.In the first embodiment, in the peripheral wall 65 erected along theperipheral edge portion of the support arm 41, there is formed thecut-out portion 67 extending over the reversal area ranging from thefishing line take-up position of the bail support member 45 to thefishing line play-out position thereof so that the front wall 65a of theperipheral wall 65 is extended up to the leading end portion of thesupport arm 41. On the other hand, according to the present twenty-thirdembodiment, as shown in FIGS. 36 and 37, there is formed a cut-outportion 115 in such a manner that it is extended up to the rotor take-uprotation direction side thereof along the reverse direction of the bailsupport member 45, a wall portion 117a for closing the rotor take-uprotation direction side of the cut-out portion 115 is formed integrallywith the leading end portion of a cover 117 which is fixed to theoutside of the support arm 41 and is used to cover the whole of astorage portion 63, the bail support member 45 is inserted into anopening 71 formed by the cover 117 and cut-out portion 115, and the baseportion 45a of the bail support member 45 is slidably mounted on theinner surface 63a of the storage portion 63 through a support shaft 70.That is, since the rotor take-up rotation direction side of the cut-outportion 115 is closed by the wall portion 117a, the opening 71 is openedover a reversal area ranging from the fishing line take-up position ofthe bail support member 45 to the fishing line play-out position of thebail support member 45.

Since the remaining portions of the structure of the present embodimentare the same as those of the previously-mentioned first embodiment, theyare given the same designations and the description thereof is omittedhere.

Thus, according to the present embodiment as well as other embodiments,there is eliminated the possibility that the fishing line can beentangled during the fishing operation, which makes it possible toachieve an expected object of the invention.

FIGS. 38 to 41 show a twenty-fourth embodiment of the present invention.This embodiment is constructed such that the mounting structureincluding the support arm 237, the cover 239 and so on for mounting thebail support member 45 according to the seventeenth embodiment shown inFIG. 28 is provided on a spinning reel 361 substantially equivalent tothe spinning reel of the first embodiment, and that a spool 337, whichis applicable to any one of the previously described embodiments, ismounted on the spinning reel 361.

As shown in FIGS. 38 and 40, the bail support member 45 is pivotablysupported on the support arm 237 and has the leading end portion 45b towhich a line slider 31 T-shaped in section is fixed through a shaftportion 31a by a bolt or screw. The bail 49 is fixed to the line slider31. The line roller 72 is rotatably supported by the ball bearing 33axially interposed between the shaft portion 31a and the leading endportion 45b of the bail support member 45.

The line roller 72 has such a shape, as shown in FIGS. 40 and 41, thatthe fishing line guide portion 72a is tapered so that the diameter isgradually increased in the direction from the bail support member 45toward the line slider 31, i.e. in the fishing line take-up direction(arrow A) of the rotor 15.

The fishing line guide portion 72a is integrally formed with asubstantially circular plate-like guide portion 35 adjacent the leadingend portion 45b of the bail support member 45, which is brought intocontact with the fishing line during winding operation so as to restrictthe axial motion of the fishing line with respect to the line roller 72,to thereby stabilize a line pass around the line roller 72. Morespecifically, since the line roller 72 together with the rotor 15rotates around the spool 337, the relative position of the line roller72 with respect to a guide provided on a rod, the diameter of thefishing line which has been wound on the spool 337, the axial positionof the spool making traverse motion in the front-to-rear direction andso on adversely affect on the position of the fishing line, that is tosay, the fishing line attempts to move in the axial directionirregularly on the guide portion 72a of the line roller 72. However, theline roller 72 according to the present invention can positivelyrestrict such irregular, axial motion of the fishing line, because ofthe tapered configuration of the guide portion 72a in cooperation withthe provision of the guide portion 35.

Further, as described above, the line roller 72 employed in the spinningreel of the present invention has such a tapered shape that the diameterof the fishing line guide portion 72a gradually increases in the fishingline take-up direction A of the rotor 15. Therefore, the friction causedbetween the line roller 72 and the fishing line is larger at thediameter larger side rather than at the diameter smaller side.Consequently, when the fishing line is guided by the line roller 72 tobe wound onto the spool 37, twists are positively produced on thefishing in the direction opposite to the direction in which twists areproduced on the fishing line when the wound fishing line is released orplayed out from the spool. Conventionally, the spinning reel for fishingstructurally suffers from a problem in that twists in the line that areproduced on the fishing line when the wound fishing line is released orplayed out from the spool, accumulate on the fishing line by repetitionof taking-up and playing-out of the fishing line and such accumulatedtwists cause the cutting and the entanglement of the fishing line.However, according to the present invention, by positively producing thetwists on the fishing line with the tapered configuration of the fishingline guide roller 72 when the fishing line is wound onto the spool, thecasting twists can be canceled by the winding twists when the fishingline is played out from the spool subsequently. Therefore, the spinningreel of the present invention is free from the problem in that thefishing line is cut and/or entangled due to the accumulated fishing linetwists.

The guide portion 35 is located radially outwardly relative to the outerperiphery of the opposite end portion 72b of the line roller 72. Theguide portion 35 defines a fishing line contact surface 35a which is aplaner surface orthogonal to the axis of the line roller and with whichthe fishing line is brought into contact during the fishing line take-upoperation.

It is preferable that the outer diameter D₁ of the guide portion 35 isset larger than the outer diameter D₂ of the opposite end portion 72b byan amount equal to or more than 1 mm. It is set larger by an amount morethan 2 mm, then the sliding contact of the fishing line contact surface35a with the fishing line becomes more gentle and preferable.

Since the outer diameter of the guide portion 35 is set larger than theouter diameter of the opposite end 72b so as to increase the contactarea of the fishing line contact surface 35a and since the fishing linecontact surface 35a is formed as a planar surface, the partial and localdeformation and forcible slide are prevented from being applied on thefishing line, and thus it is possible to decrease the damage on thefishing line. In addition, as shown in FIG. 42, the fishing line contactsurface may be formed as a curved surface 135b.

In FIG. 40, reference numerals 45b' and 31b designate annularprojections, which are respectively provided on the leading end portion45b and the line slider 31 and which respectively circumscribe the guideportion 35 and the opposite end portion 72b of the line roller 72, forpreventing the biting of the fishing line. As a consequence of thestructure that the opposite end portion 72b of the line roller 72 ismade smaller in comparison to the guide portion 35, the outer diameterD₄ of the annular projection 31b on the line slider 31 can be madesmaller than the outer diameter D₃ of annular projection 45b' on theleading end portion 45b of the bail support member 45. Therefore, theline slider 31 can be made smaller in size and weight, and thus therotor 15 can be made smaller in weight totally. Further, this weightreduction of the line slider 31 also meets the recent technicalrequirement that the heavier weight should not be distributed forwardlyin view of the good rotation balance of the rotor 15.

As shown in FIG. 38, the spool 337, which is applicable to any one ofpreviously described embodiments, includes a front side flange portion337a, a fishing line winding barrel portion 337b and a rear side flangeportion (skirt portion) 337c. The barrel portion 337b of thisembodiment, as similarly to the seventh embodiment, is reversely taperedsuch that the diameter of the barrel portion gradually decreases as itapproaches the rear side flange portion 337c from the front side flangeportion 337a. This reversely tapered design for the barrel portion 337bis directed to preventing the collapse of the fishing line wound on thebarrel portion 337b when the fishing line is played out.

The spool 337 is further characterized in that the diameter of thefishing line winding barrel portion 337b is set larger in comparison tothe conventional spinning reel, and that the rear end 337d of the rearside flange portion 337c is bent radially inwardly. The design of theradially inwardly bent rear end 337b makes it possible to increase thediameter of the spool 337 without increasing the diameter of the rotor15. Consequently, it is possible to increase the winding amount of thefishing line and enhance the fishing line releasing (playing-out)ability, which are advantages provided from the increased diameter ofthe spool 337 as well as to prevent the collapse of the fishing linefrom the barrel portion 337c when the fishing line is played out.Further, since it is not necessary to increase the diameter of the rotor15, the above-noted advantages can be obtained without increasing theentire reel in size and weight.

In the spinning reel according to the twenty-fourth embodiment of thepresent invention, the fishing line winding barrel portion 337b istapered at an angle of 0.5° to 5° with respect to the axis X so that adiameter of the fishing line winding barrel portion 337b graduallydecreases from the front side flange portion 337a to the rear sideflange portion 337c, and an axial length L₅ of the rear side flangeportion 337c along the axis X is larger than an axial length L₆ of thefishing line winding barrel portion 337c. According to the combinationof these designs for the spool 337, a proper friction is applied onto afishing line when the fishing line is released (played out) from thespool 337 and thus it is possible to prevent the backlash of the fishingline and the looseness of the fishing line. Because of the above-notedadvantage, it is possible to fully wind the fishing line onto thefishing line barrel portion 337b up to the outer periphery of the frontside flange portion 337a, to thereby increase the flying or castingdistance of the fishing hooks.

In the spinning reel according to the twenty-fourth embodiment of thepresent invention, the fishing line winding barrel portion 337b intapered with respect to the axis x so that a diameter of the fishingline winding barrel portion 337b gradually decreases from the front sideflange portion 337a to the rear side flange portion 337c, and a roar end337d of the rear side flange portion 337c is tapered so that a diameterof the rear end 337d gradually decreases rearwardly. Accordingly, thereverse taper design of the fishing line winding barrel portion 337bprevents the fishing line from being loosened in such a manner that thebundle of the wound fishing line is shifted forwardly of the spool 337.Further, even if the loosened fishing line is shifted rearwardly, theloop of the loosened fishing line fallen down onto the rotor 15rearwardly is much larger in diameter than the cylindrical portion ofthe rotor 15 because of the tapered design of the rear end 337c of therear side flange portion 337c, and therefore it is easy to return theloosened fishing line back to the fishing line winding barrel portion337b. In addition, the tapered design of the rear end 337d of the rearside flange portion 337c makes it possible to decrease the diameter ofthe cylindrical portion of the rotor 15 without increasing the radialclearance between the cylindrical portion of the rotor 15 and the rearside flange potion 337c of the spool 337.

In the spinning reel according to the twenty-fourth embodiment, adiameter L₂ of the front side flange portion 337a relative to a distanceL₁ defined between outer surfaces of the support arms 43 and 45 is setat 0.6 to 0.8, and a rear end 337d of the rear side flange portion 337cis tapered so that a diameter of the rear end 337d gradually decreasesrearwardly. The combination of these designs enables enlarging thediameter of the spool 337 without increasing the entire size of thespinning reel. Further, owing to the tapered configuration of the rearend 337d of the rear side flange portion 337c of the spool 337, it ispossible to maintain the performance of preventing the rearward shiftingof the fishing line as well as to decrease the diameter of thecylindrical portion of the rotor 15.

In the spinning reel according to the twenty-fourth embodiment, adiameter L₄ of the rear side flange portion 337c relative to a diameterL₂ of the front side flange portion 337a is set at 0.95 to 1.05.Accordingly, a proper friction is applied onto a fishing line when thefishing line is released (played out) from the spool 337 and thus it ispossible to prevent the backlash of the fishing line and the loosenessof the fishing line. Because of the above-noted advantage, it ispossible to fully wind the fishing line onto the fishing line barrelportion 337c up to the outer periphery of the front side flange portion337a, to thereby increase the flying or casting distance of the fishinghooks.

By the way, as in the above-mentioned respective embodiments, in aspinning reel of this type, the bail support member is mounted on thesupport arm. However, conventionally, there are available a large numberof spinning reels which do not employ any bail. In such spinning reelsfor fishing, a support member equivalent to the above-mentioned bailsupport member is attached to a support arm and a line roller is mountedthereon. The present invention can also apply to the spinning reelshaving such structure.

Also, in the above-mentioned embodiments, the ratio of the outsidediameter dimension L₂ of the front side flange portion of the spool withrespect to the outer width dimension L₁ of the support arm of the rotoris set 70%. However, according to the invention in which the thicknessof the support arm is reduced, this ratio can be set in the range of 60%to 80%.

As has been described heretofore, with use of a spinning reel accordingto the invention as set forth in the respective claims, the diameter ofthe spool can be increased without increasing the sizes of the rotor andreel main body when compared with the conventional spinning reel, andthe fishing line can be positively prevented from twining in the fishingoperation of the spinning reel, so that the increased diameter of thespool can be realized without impairing the efficiency of the fishingoperation of the spinning reel and thus the practical use of thespinning reel can be improved further.

What is claimed is:
 1. A spinning reel for fishing for winding a fishingline onto a spool with a rotor rotatable about a first axis,wherein:said rotor includes a pair of support arms and a cover isattached to at least one of said support arms; said at least one supportarm and said cover cooperatively form a mounting portion for pivotablymounting a base portion of a support member to which a bail is fixed; animaginary plane is defined, which contains the first axis and intersectsboth of said support arms; a peripheral wall is erected from andelongated along a peripheral edge of said mounting portion so that saidperipheral wall adjacent said base portion of said support memberextends from a fishing line take-up side across the imaginary plane to afishing line play-out side; and said peripheral wall defines a cut-outportion which permits a pivot motion of said support member and which isentirely located within the fishing line play-out side.
 2. A spinningreel for fishing according to claim 1, wherein said peripheral wall isprovided on said at least one support arm.
 3. A spinning reel forfishing according to claim 1, wherein said peripheral wall is providedon said cover.
 4. A spinning reel for fishing according to claim 1,wherein an inner surface of said at least one support arm with which thebase portion of said support member is slidingly contacted and a surfaceof said cut-out portion with which said base portion of said supportmember is slidingly contacted lie on a common plane.
 5. A spinning reelfor fishing according to claim 4, wherein an inner surface of said coverwith which said base portion of said support member is slidinglycontacted and a surface of said cut-out portion with which said baseportion of said support member is slidingly contacted lie on anothercommon plane.
 6. A spinning reel for fishing according to claim 1,wherein an inner surface of said cover with which said base portion ofsaid support member is slidingly contacted and a surface of said cut-outportion with which said base portion of said support member is slidinglycontacted lie on a common plane.
 7. A spinning reed for fishingaccording to claim 1, wherein said peripheral wall terminates at alocation substantially aligned on a pivot axis of said support memberalong a direction of the first axis.
 8. A spinning reel for fishingaccording to claim 1, wherein a closing member is provided for closingsaid cut-out portion in association with a pivot motion of said supportmember.
 9. A spinning reel for fishing according to claim 1, wherein fortwo positions of said rotor relative to said:the imaginary planeconstitutes a first imaginary plane; an imaginary second plane extendsalong the first axis and through a leg portion of said spinning reel asa plane of symmetry that bisects said spinning reel, including saidrotor into substantially symmetrical halves, and the imaginary firstplane extends perpendicularly to the imaginary second plane.
 10. Aspinning reel for fishing for winding a fishing line onto a spool with arotor rotatable about a first axis, wherein:said rotor includes a pairof support arms; a support shaft is formed on and protrudes from aninner surface of at least one of said support arms for mounting a baseportion of a support member to which a bail is fixed so that saidsupport member is pivotable about a second axis; an imaginary plane isdefined, which contains the first axis and intersects both of saidsupport arms; a peripheral wall is erected from and elongated along aperipheral edge of said at least one support arm so that said peripheralwall has a curved front wall which circumscribes said base portion ofsaid support member about the second axis and terminates substantiallyon the imaginary plane to define a cut-out portion located entirelywithin a fishing line play-out side with respect to the imaginary plane.11. A spinning reel for fishing according to claim 10, wherein athickness of said base portion of said support member is substantiallyequal to an amount by which said peripheral wall is erected and projectsfrom the inner surface of said at least one support arm.
 12. A spinningreel for fishing according to claim 10, wherein for two positions ofsaid rotor relative to said spinning reel:the imaginary planeconstitutes a first imaginary plane; an imaginary second plane extendsalong the first axis and through a leg portion of said spinning reel asa plane of symmetry that bisects said spinning reel into substantiallysymmetrical halves, and wherein the imaginary first plane extendsperpendicularly to the imaginary second plane.
 13. A spinning reel forfishing for winding fishing line onto a spool with a rotor rotatableabout a first axis, wherein:said rotor includes a pair of support arms,and a cover attached to at least one of said support arms; a supportshaft is formed on and protrudes from an inner surface of said cover formounting a base portion of support member to which a bail is fixed sothat said support member is pivotable about a second axis; an imaginaryplane is defined, which contains the first axis and intersects both ofsaid support arms; a peripheral wall is erected from and elongated alonga peripheral edge of said cover so that said peripheral wall has acurved front wall which circumscribes said base portion of said supportmember about the second axis and terminates substantially on theimaginary plane to define a cut-out portion located entirely within afishing line play-out side with respect to the imaginary plane.
 14. Aspinning reel for fishing according to claim 13, wherein a thickness ofsaid base portion of said support member is substantially equal to anamount by which said peripheral wall is erected and projects from theinner surface of said cover.
 15. A spinning reel for fishing accordingto claim 13, wherein for two positions of said rotor relative to saidspinning reel:the imaginary plane constitutes a first imaginary plane;an imaginary second plane extends along the first axis and through a legportion of said spinning reel as a plane of symmetry that bisects saidspinning reel, including said rotor into substantially symmetricalhalves, and the imaginary first plane extends perpendicularly to theimaginary second plane.